1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to: a computer readable recording medium having a function simulation program installed on an information processing apparatus to allow the information processing apparatus to simulate one or more than one function of an image processing apparatus; the information processing apparatus having a function simulation program installed thereon to simulate one or more than one function of the image processing apparatus; and a simulation method of a function of the image processing apparatus, implemented by the information processing apparatus.
2. Description of the Related Art
The following description sets forth the inventor's knowledge of related art and problems therein and should not be construed as an admission of knowledge in the prior art.
Conventionally, specifically in recent years, users have come to use the scan function, the print function, the facsimile function and other functions of a MFP (Multi Function Peripheral) that is a multifunctional digital image forming apparatus or an image processing apparatus such as a printer, a scanner and a facsimile, operating from an information processing apparatus such as a personal computer, by connecting the information processing apparatus to the MFP or the image processing apparatus, via a network.
Users can use a function of the image processing apparatus operating from the information processing apparatus as described above, because the information processing apparatus transmits commands to the image processing apparatus according to an application program installed on the information processing apparatus. Thus, in order to improve the convenience and usability of users who hope to use a function of the image processing apparatus, it is necessary to enhance or newly develop an application program to install on the information processing apparatus to make the image processing apparatus execute processing.
Engineers or persons who try to enhance or newly develop an application program in a development company, have to perform operation check of image processing apparatuses using the application program, and unless the customer who try to enhance or newly develop an application program is a manufacturer of image processing apparatus, actually it would be not easy or would be rather inefficient for the customer to obtain some image processing apparatuses for operation check.
To prevent such a trouble, manufacturers usually develop by their selves a simulation program to allow information processing apparatuses to simulate a function of their image processing apparatuses, and provide it to customers, so that the customers could install this provided simulation program on their own information processing apparatuses. Thus, according to commands from an application program to make an image processing apparatus execute processing, the simulation program makes the information processing apparatuses execute processing as if the information processing apparatuses could use a function of the image processing apparatus.
Meanwhile, the simulation program may include a program that makes the information processing apparatuses execute a process that requires the customers to be granted a license, or should be kept from the customers if they are not reliable very much. However, it has been inconvenient and left unsolved that once obtaining the simulation program, all the customers come to be able to execute the simulation program, even if some of them are not granted a license or not reliable very much.
To resolve this, as disclosed in Japanese Unexamined Laid-open Patent Publication No. 2005-100401, there is a technology to provide a software product to be installed on image processing apparatuses, including various packages for the product and other versions of the product, and determine which package or version (which program) to install thereon, according to a product key entered for installation.
Although the technology disclosed in the Patent Publication above resolves the inconvenience that any customers can execute a simulation program without limitation even if they are not granted a license or not reliable very much, it is not good that customers cannot use some programs because those are not installed on their information processing apparatuses. With the shortage of programs, it would be hard to enhance or develop an application program to make image processing apparatuses execute processing, which is another inconvenience.
The description herein of advantages and disadvantages of various features, embodiments, methods, and apparatus disclosed in other publications is in no way intended to limit the present invention. Indeed, certain features of the invention may be capable of overcoming certain disadvantages, while still retaining some or all of the features, embodiments, methods, and apparatus disclosed therein.